A history of Oakridge,
since 1912
Postcards, papers and photographs of Oakridge from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The area now known as Oakridge was first explored by Euro-Americans in 1852 as a possible route for pioneers coming from Central Oregon to the Willamette Valley. Before that Oakridge was the land of the Kalapuya who had villages on the rivers since time immemorial. A post office was named "Hazeldell" in 1888, and the place's name later changed to "Big Prairie", and then "Oak Ridge". In 1912, a new community was formed and officially named Oakridge. Since its beginnings as a mountain ranch, Oakridge has been a railroad boomtown, a loggers' haven, and an outdoor enthusiast's destination.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Oakridge’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewOakridge, Oregon, 1942: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Oakridge
See all 1 →Oakridge, decade by decade
1990s
Nothing in Oakridge is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Oakridge has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Office Bridge in Westfir, 2.1 miles away.
Oakridge and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Oakridge, Oregon (1942) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom the Library of Congress (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.